Pace

I've been keeping an eye on this Niedenfuer thing since last year. Every hitter in the National League, from Ozzie Smith and Jerry White, to Mike Schmidt and Jack Clark, realized that the baseballs that Niedenfuer used were much larger, and seemed to be wound tighter, a combination which caused the ball to seemingly defy gravity when struck solidly. One gets the idea that Niedenfuer is neither seeking advice, nor open to suggestions on the matter. The solution is cut and dried to Buff.

Since Wayne Gretzky started shattering scoring records at the start of the decade, teams have been trying to come up with ways--not always legal--to slow him down. They have tried putting a man on the ice just to shadow him; they have taken runs at him, and they have tried to antagonize and intimidate him. None of the tactics have worked. The Edmonton Oilers' center, who will be 25 in a couple of weeks, is better than ever.

Conflicts far beyond those supplied by the text complicate "The Chase," the final presentation of Woodland Hills Community Theatre's 2002 season at the West Valley Playhouse in Canoga Park. Horton Foote's 1952 account of a disillusioned Texas sheriff and the escaped convict bent on destroying him here finds the author's burgeoning early voice inadvertently clashing with a wildly misguided approach.

In the oppressively ruminative indie "How I Got Lost," floundering sportswriter Jake (Jacob Fishel) and his cynically aggressive Wall Street buddy Andrew (Aaron Stanford) are twentysomethings in a perpetually floating angst a year after 9/11. Spurred by Andrew's belief that their life plans are at the root of their problems, the pair escape New York for seemingly no reason. But their stop in rural Ohio reveals a certain emotionally motivated determination on Andrew's part, while Jake's romantic woes over a mysterious beauty he left behind begin healing when he meets a single-mom waitress (Rosemarie DeWitt)

BALTIMORE -- For a closer who is on pace to shatter the single-season saves record, Francisco Rodriguez, by some measures, is having a subpar year. A major league-high 43 saves in 46 opportunities and a .183 batting average against are outstanding, as is Rodriguez's 2.33 earned-run average in 46 1/3 innings over 40 appearances. But the right-hander has already walked 28, seven shy of his career high, set in 2003. He has struck out only 48, well off the pace of his 99-strikeout average in his first five full seasons.

The Lakers' four-game winning streak since the All-Star game seems attributable to their stifling defense, which has held opposing teams to 90.8 points a game in that stretch. Or maybe not ? at least in the eyes of Lakers Coach Phil Jackson. DATABASE: Search for key facts since the Lakers' beginnings He sees it more as a result of an effective offense by his team. "I think it's the pace of the game that we're trying to establish," Jackson said. "We're not forcing the activity right now. When Matt [ Barnes ]

Reporting from Baltimore — While rookies Tyler Chatwood and Mike Trout were teaming up to beat the Orioles on Sunday, aging sluggers Bobby Abreu , Torii Hunter and Vernon Wells remained on pace for career-worst seasons in more than one major offensive category this year. But Angels Manager Mike Scioscia isn't ready to blame the decline on age. "These guys are going through rough stretches now, but they're athletic, they're still in great shape.

Police figures show Detroit's homicide rate is soaring at a pace approaching that of 1974, when drug wars killed a record 714 people. Authorities said there were 525 homicides in Detroit through September, up 9.6% from a year ago. If the pace continues, the 1987 toll would be 700. There were 646 homicides last year.

Freddie Banks scored 20 points Tuesday night to pace the University of Nevada Las Vegas to an 83-65 victory over Stanford in the first round of the Chaminade tournament. The Rebels will meet North Carolina State today for the tournament title. The Wolfpack, with Chris Washburn scoring 22 points and triggering a 19-2 second-half spree, defeated Chaminade, 64-46, in the first game. UNLV (9-1) received 18 points from Anthony Jones.